This past spring, my mom and I visited the Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Southeastern Showhouse. The show house is held every year – it used to be The Atlanta Symphony Show House, but now it is run by Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazine. (This year was the first year it was held by AH&L.) The show home is always in Atlanta’s toniest residential area, Buckhead. This year was special – two of my favorite designers had rooms – Suzanne Kasler and Phoebe Howard!!!
This is the front hall. If you look past the hall table, you see a couple of ladies admiring the chandelier in the dining room designed by Suzanne Kasler.
Here is the study/library which is on the other side of the front hall (on the front of the house).
And here is the dining room by Suzanne Kasler. It is so elegant and refined. The chandelier is so gorgeous! I love how her style is luxurious and elegant, but not stuffy – I like how she has a little edge added in with the accessories.
Check out the lacquered ceiling – isn’t it gorgeous!!!! A better picture of the chandelier-
I love the clean lines of the fireplace. Notice the herringbone pattern in the fire box – so pretty!
I like the funkiness of this lamp – just the right amount of glam.
Perfection….
If you like Suzanne Kasler, but, like me, can’t afford her services, more accessible items designed by Kasler are available at Ballard Designs.
Here are more pictures from the show house. So much gorgeousness! Enjoy!
This is the living room, which is off of the kitchen. If you are facing the fireplace, the kitchen is directly behind you and the backyard is to your left.
This wall of windows in the living room is on the back of the house – the fireplace is to the right. You can just see the pool over to the left through the windows.
Look how tall the windows are! This room gets incredible light!
You can see the kitchen to the right as you walk in from the living room. Love that painting! Isn’t the lantern in the kitchen yummy!
A built in coffee station in the kitchen-
The kitchen cabinets are a warm gray. The counters are some sort of quartzite – I don’t remember the name. Love the proportions of the backsplash tile.
That hood! It is really the star of the kitchen!
Here is the island sink – the faucet is so pretty and feminine.
A mirrored cabinet in the kitchen. I love the “x”s!
And this – taxidermy has been popular at the show homes!
Here is one of my favorite rooms (other than the ones by Kasler and Howard). I love the green of the plates and pillows – it just feels so fresh!
Aren’t those pendants awesome!!!!
Someone give that poor cat a sandwich!
Here is the butler’s. Love the “x”s on the glass doors.
A powder room. Love the gorgeous wallpaper and the backsplash shape.
And the fabulous master bedroom by Phoebe Howard! Love this screen on the wall – it feels like a piece of art. Love the black against the neutral walls and sofa.
The pretty fireplace. Love the brick in the firebox.
A desk in front of a window facing the rear of the house.
This aqua is so soft and pretty. My iPhone photos don’t do this room justice!
Phoebe Howard is very inspirational to me – she is a “decorator” rather than a designer, if you are following the strict definition of the terms. She talks about this in her book, “The Joy of Decorating.” She did not go to school for design, but rather learned on the job working on projects with her architect husband, and at her store, Mrs. Howard.
I think design is a career that if you have a good eye and style, you can educate yourself about design (learning on the job is the fastest way!) and running a business. There are many top tier designers who are technically decorators because they don’t have a degree. Just to name a few are Kelly Wearstler, Vincente Wolf, Darryl Carter and Charlotte Moss. They all have fabulous taste and have figured out how to parlay that into a busy career.
I’ve learned so much from doing the design work in my job, and spending lots of time looking at the work of designers I admire. And going to lots of show houses!!!!!
Here is the master bath. Wall to wall and floor to ceiling marble! Luxurious!
Here is the lady’s dressing room. The window is on the front of the house.
A secondary bathroom – love the stone on the vanity.
A sweet lamp in the “mudroom.” This is more stylish than any mudroom in my house! Mine would be full of muddy sneakers and backpacks!
More mudroom.
Ceiling in the mudroom – gorg!
Outside on the terrace level.
A secondary bedroom.
Love this tile. It looks handmade – lovely. The color is still neutral, and is an nice break from white subway tile.
A sitting room with snack station.
A secondary bedroom designed by Parker Kennedy Living. I saw them speak about color at ADAC not that long ago. Love the exuberance of their designs (and the chinoiserie, of course)!
Here is an upstairs game room.
My favorite – blue and white! This is an outdoor vignette right off the dining room. So cute!
The beaded chandelier over the little sofa:
And… the pool. Aren’t those umbrellas the best? Perfect!
Here is a console in the pool house. This window overlooks the pool.
The pool house kitchen. Do you think anyone but caterers work in this kitchen?
This was a lovely house – really the vast majority of the rooms were home runs for me. There was a quiet elegance that ran through the whole house. I love going to show homes because they are inspirational, and also, experiencing a designer’s work in real life is so different than seeing it in a magazine or on the computer.
Do you think I can write off the tickets as an education expense? 😉
Pink Camellias 